We assume that elections mean freedom, but is this true? Do we get a democratic government when we vote? If not, what is wrong? "Elections!" says the author. He lists their failings and shows that our "representative democracy" is neither representative nor democratic, and does not meet accepted standards. He then presents a practical route to true democracy.

This is the story of an alternative history of the West, one where Christianity never happened. The tale of this bright world that never was begins with the pre-Socratic philosophers of ancient Greece, some of the greatest, boldest and most imaginative thinkers of all time. This is the tale of the infinitely mysterious Quintessence, the divine fifth element.